have Courage, Respect who you Used to be

I recently saw someone mention on Facebook that a certain character from the new Mass Effect game is trans. And when I clicked the link to twitter I saw many comments about how unrealistic it was for a trans person to admit to being trans and even sharing their birth name.

I feel very differently about this because I believe there can be a world where trans people do not feel uncomfortable with their past. Where they are encouraged to explore who they were, to better respect that person, and fully accept that that person isn’t bad or wrong. They were true as they could be and then one day something changed and they became a different person.

Our past selves are the people who had to learn the important lessons so we could become the people we are now. It doesn’t matter what kind of lesson it is, it will change you in some way.

I encourage people to teach this to anyone who will listen, trans or not: telling someone who you used to be does not disempower you. It shows that you have belief and courage in who you are now.

I am naïve. But I have hope that one day people will strive, not to be better than each other, but to better each other.